California's Yee Blasts ESRB; Cites Harvard Study

In the latest news, California Assembly Speaker pro Tem Leland Yee (D) has cited the Harvard data in a press release which is highly critical of the ESRB.

GP came across Yee's comments in the California Chronicle, where Yee is quoted thusly: "This is yet another piece of evidence showing that the current rating system just doesn't work. I have urged the industry on numerous occasions to appropriately rate and disclose the content of M-rated video games. Yet, time and time again we have seen that parents can't trust the ratings; now this study shows they can't trust the content descriptors either."

"It is imperative that parents play an active role in discussing and reviewing the content of the games their children play," Yee added. "Parents should not completely rely on the game rating or even the content descriptor in deciding which games are appropriate for their kids."

Yee, of course, is the architect of California's video game law, which was signed into law last October by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. A federal district court judge issued a temporary injunction in December, which blocked the law from taking effect. Final arguments on the industry's claims that Yee's law is unconstitutional will be heard in federal court in May.